The Problem: Melting of the polar ice caps leading to rising water and destruction
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that over the past 150 years the increases in greenhouse gasses have changed the climate on earth drastically. This change has caused an adverse effect on certain geographic locations and habitats.
The average global temperature has risen by 0.76°C
The Average sea level has risen 40 mm
New, harsher weather patterns and storms are being experienced (1)
Ice caps are melting so fast that the oceans are rising twice as fast as they were in the 1970’s (2).
Glaciers such as Greenland’s Ilulissat Glacier, which produced the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, are moving three times faster than they were a decade ago. This increased speed results in the glacier depositing enough fresh water into the ocean each year to provide a city the size of London with drinking water for a year. By 2050 approximately 40 percent of the floating ice covering the world will melt during the summer months. This drastic melting will particularly affect the many ice-dependent species, whose habitat is disappearing before them (3).
By 2050 it is expected that due to climate change alone, two thirds of the world’s polar bears could disappear(3)
With the stability of the ice decreasing, Polar Bear mothers are going longer without food, depleting their fat storage which directly affects their ability to reproduce strong and healthy cubs(4)
Gray whales will have trouble finding the ice-loving crustaceans they feed on(3)
The Harp Seals, Spotted Seal and Ring Seal seldom live on land; they depend on the sea ice as a home, birthplace and resting platform. With the ice break up seal pups are being separated from their mothers making them susceptible to predators, and higher death rates
Walrus use the ice edge as a resting and feeding area, they eat clams and shellfish found on the continental shelves, and as the edge melts away their food supply disappears(4)
Melting ice and temperature of the oceans may lead to the destruction of marine plant and animal life. A One meter sea level rise proves threatening to the fishing and shrimp industries in Ecuador(5)
For more on the direct implications of climate change on arctic life click here.
Air pollution from the south is traveling into the Arctic and tinting the ice darker. As the ice melts, the water turns murky and dark. This darker water soaks up sunlight and absorbs heat, making the temperature of the water warmer than it should be. The temperature increase helps melt the ice faster, thus warming surrounding Arctic lands and causing even more problems than rising water levels. As the tundra thaws, microbes in the previously frozen compost material break down into carbon dioxide and methane. Methane is 35 times more powerful than CO2 in creating greenhouse gas. As the ice melts, the methane runs off into surrounding seas and lakes causing irreversible problems(6)
Soon to come:
If nothing is done to help mend the global warming situation the IPCC has projected that in the next 90 years the mean surface temperature could rise as much as 6.4° C and the sea level up to 59cm (almost 2 feet) causing devastating effects across the globe. When the melt off of the land ice in Greenland and Antarctica are considered the mean sea level rise is increased to a range of 28 to 79cm (More than 2 and a half feet)(1)
The direct results of the climate change could mean the number or floods, droughts, heat waves and storms will increase at a drastic level and the return period between them will decrease. As the global temperatures rise, increasingly dangerous gales, hurricanes and storm surges will form resulting in a super-surge of storms which could prove particularly harmful to low-lying regions(7)
In addition to storms, the Greenland ice cap is melting at such a fast rate that it is triggering earthquakes as pieces of ice break off (3)
The cities on coasts will be affected most by the changes as it will damage their land and may eventually lead to abandonment. Right now, one third of the world’s population lives within 60 miles of a shoreline, and of the 20 largest cities, 13 are located on a coast (1)
Low lying areas such as Bangladesh, Florida, the Maldives, the Norfolk Broads in Britain, Thames estuary and the Netherlands face flooding issues, while London, Hull and Portsmouth will need to create improved flood defenses for the future (7)
A one meter rise in sea level could flood 17% of Bangladesh, ruining 50% of its rice-farming land and leaving millions without homes and food (7)
In the Americas, parts of the Caribbean, Mexico, Ecuador, New York City, and southern parts of Florida are thought to be the most vulnerable (5)
A one meter rise in the sea level in Guyana will account for 40% loss of agricultural land and a relocation of 70% of the population(5)
For a map of the cities at the highest risk in the America’s click here
Can we Change it
Even if emissions had been stopped in 2000, we would have still seen a global temperature rise of 0.6°C due to past actions and feedback in the climate system.
In the U.S, Russia, China, and Canada the burning of agricultural fields in the spring is common, and it causes mass loads of smoke to travels up to the Arctic. Air pollution is a faster fix than global warming so to help lessen the problem farmers can use alternative methods to clear weeds and fight erosion(6)
What if the ice caps disappear ?
The Problem: Melting of the polar ice caps leading to rising water and destructionThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that over the past 150 years the increases in greenhouse gasses have changed the climate on earth drastically. This change has caused an adverse effect on certain geographic locations and habitats.
Ice caps are melting so fast that the oceans are rising twice as fast as they were in the 1970’s (2).
Glaciers such as Greenland’s Ilulissat Glacier, which produced the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, are moving three times faster than they were a decade ago. This increased speed results in the glacier depositing enough fresh water into the ocean each year to provide a city the size of London with drinking water for a year. By 2050 approximately 40 percent of the floating ice covering the world will melt during the summer months. This drastic melting will particularly affect the many ice-dependent species, whose habitat is disappearing before them (3).
Air pollution from the south is traveling into the Arctic and tinting the ice darker. As the ice melts, the water turns murky and dark. This darker water soaks up sunlight and absorbs heat, making the temperature of the water warmer than it should be. The temperature increase helps melt the ice faster, thus warming surrounding Arctic lands and causing even more problems than rising water levels. As the tundra thaws, microbes in the previously frozen compost material break down into carbon dioxide and methane. Methane is 35 times more powerful than CO2 in creating greenhouse gas. As the ice melts, the methane runs off into surrounding seas and lakes causing irreversible problems(6)
Soon to come:
If nothing is done to help mend the global warming situation the IPCC has projected that in the next 90 years the mean surface temperature could rise as much as 6.4° C and the sea level up to 59cm (almost 2 feet) causing devastating effects across the globe. When the melt off of the land ice in Greenland and Antarctica are considered the mean sea level rise is increased to a range of 28 to 79cm (More than 2 and a half feet)(1)
The direct results of the climate change could mean the number or floods, droughts, heat waves and storms will increase at a drastic level and the return period between them will decrease. As the global temperatures rise, increasingly dangerous gales, hurricanes and storm surges will form resulting in a super-surge of storms which could prove particularly harmful to low-lying regions(7)
In addition to storms, the Greenland ice cap is melting at such a fast rate that it is triggering earthquakes as pieces of ice break off (3)
The cities on coasts will be affected most by the changes as it will damage their land and may eventually lead to abandonment. Right now, one third of the world’s population lives within 60 miles of a shoreline, and of the 20 largest cities, 13 are located on a coast (1)
Can we Change it
Bibliography
Information on how to help..
Air Pollution:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4906389_stop-air-pollution-causes.html
http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/Frames/pollution-prevention-f.html
Global Warming:
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_actionitems.asp
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/global_warming.htm
Additional Information:
Ilulissat Greenland